Massachusetts cannabis regulators pledged to crack down on THC potency inflation amid accusations from law enforcement that “nothing” is being done to halt what many critics say is a longstanding problem.
In an interview with Boston-based CBS News affiliate WBZ, Matt Gutwill, president of the New England Narcotic Officers Enforcement Association, claims to have found cannabis products with THC inflated by nearly 300% – a result of poor state oversight, he said.
Licensed cannabis retailers and producers are “ripping off the consumer,” Gutwill told CBS.
His critique follows years of similar claims from labs and industry observers that commercial cannabis testing labs are bending to market pressures and producing friendly results to stay in business.
Unlike other states, Massachusetts does not conduct random testing.
Random testing in states such as California has resulted in product recalls.
It’s unclear what action law enforcement might take to curb potency inflation and other lab misbehavior, but Gutwill had strong words for state marijuana regulators.
The state Cannabis Control Commission is “doing nothing on the enforcement end,” Gutwill told CBS.
Massachusetts cannabis lab testing fraud crackdown
That’s not entirely true, as the CCC over the summer moved to suspend a cannabis testing laboratory’s permit for the first time.
Assured Testing Laboratories, which tested as much as 25% of the cannabis in the state before its July 4 closure, reopened in the fall after paying a $300,000 fine.
Assured had a fail rate for yeast and mold 90 times lower than the statewide average, according to a June 30 CCC suspension order.
According to results that Assured submitted to Metrc, the state’s seed-to-sale tracking software, only 10 samples out of 17,565 were failed for containing total yeast and mold in excess of state limits.
Assured also allegedly engaged in “dry-labbing,” a practice in which results are reported without performing any tests, according to the CCC.
Assured reopened in September. Lab officials denied any wrongdoing.
Massachusetts marijuana regulators admit THC potency inflation is a problem
State cannabis officials acknowledged that potency inflation is an issue, according to CBS.
CCC Commissioner Kimberly Roy told CBS that the state wants to launch a “reference laboratory” like those seen in other states to verify results produced by independent testing labs.
That hasn’t happened because of a lack of funding, she said.
In the meantime, the CCC will launch a secret shopper program to procure product from retail shelves, Shannon O’Brien, chair of the state Cannabis Control Commission, told CBS.
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That was something the CCC should have done long ago, said O’Brien, who reassumed her role as chair in the fall after a tumultuous and controversial removal.
She said: “We were actually told by senior staff that we had a secret shopper program, which we don’t.”
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